Best BBC World Service Podcasts (2024)

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2nd November 1936: BBC Television Service launched in the UK as the world’s first regular high-definition television service

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Prior to the launch from Alexandra Palace in London, television had been in experimental stages. The BBC's launch of regular programming set a new standard for the medium and was a key part of the BBC’s broader mission to bring new forms of entertainment and information to the ...By Scott Allsop

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MadTech Daily: Channel 4 Reaches Record Young Streamers; BBC World Service to Receive Funding Boost 2:09

1h ago2:09

2:09

On today's MadTech Daily: Channel 4 Reaches Record Young Streamers; BBC World Service to Receive Funding Boost; EU Launches Action Against TemuBy ExchangeWire

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Jamie Angus, ex director of BBC World Service discusses the budget announcement on World Service funding and BBC cuts 31:33

1h ago31:33

31:33

Jamie Angus is the former director of the BBC World Service and the former editor of 'Today' and 'Newsnight' who now works in the Middle East. We discuss what the budget announcement means for funding of the World Service, why HardTalk makes the world 'a less stupid place', original journalism, the unintended consequences of commercialisation and U…

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3rd November 1918: The Kiel Mutiny begins, marking the start of the German Revolution

42m ago

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The mutiny quickly spread throughout the Kiel naval base, and within days tens of thousands of sailors and workers had joined the ...By Scott Allsop

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Assignment and its investigations and journeys 8:59

18m ago8:59

8:59

How do you keep the World Service’s flagship foreign investigations series fresh and relevant? We meet the editor and a producer from the documentary strand Assignment and we hear listeners’ feedback on recent editions, including one on the war in Ukraine. Plus, we hear listeners' reaction to the news that Hard Talk potentially faces the axe next M…

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Looking to Industry Review 2025: Defining Key Pillars 1:06:36

2h ago1:06:36

1:06:36

In this MadTech Podcast episode, John Still is joined by Ciarán O’Kane, Rachel Smith and Lindsay Rowntree to talk about ExchangeWire’s upcoming Industry Review report.By ExchangeWire

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1st November 1894: Nicholas II becomes Tsar of Russia following the death of his father, Tsar Alexander III

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The 26 year old Tsar Nicholas II inherited an autocratic government, which had long resisted democratic reforms, and a society that was increasingly dissatisfied with the existing ...By Scott Allsop

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Surviving Politics with Michael Gove. A Point of View. The Food Programme. 28:01

1h ago28:01

28:01

In this week's episode of Feedback, former Labour Cabinet Minister Alan Johnson adds his voice to the listener comments on Radio 4's short podcast series Surviving Politics with Michael Gove. Radio 2 listeners share their tributes and memories of Johnnie Walker who signed off Sounds of the Seventies last weekend ,after 58 years of broadcasting. A P…

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910. Insights: Is Singapore the best place in the world to start a fintech? 47:53

2h ago47:53

47:53

On this episode of Fintech Insider Insights host David Barton-Grimley is joined by some great guests to talk about the current state of fintech in Singapore. Singapore’s reputation as a global fintech hub has grown exponentially over the past few years and we’ve noticed a big uptick in the amount of listeners based there too. That’s why on this epi…

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MadTech Daily: IAB Tech Lab Releases Privacy Guidelines for Public Comment; UK Ad Spend Hits £10bn in Q2 2024 2:15

4h ago2:15

2:15

On today's MadTech Daily: IAB Tech Lab Releases Privacy Guidelines for Public Comment; UK Ad Spend Hits £10bn in Q2 2024; US Ad Spend Continues to ClimbBy ExchangeWire

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31st October 1922: The cabinet of Benito Mussolini formally takes power in Italy

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Mussolini, who was determined to restore the glory of the Roman Empire following the ‘mutilated victory’ of the First World War, had formed the precursor to the Fascist Party in ...By Scott Allsop

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dentsu's Ganga Chirravuri on the Evolution of Programmatic 15:43

1h ago15:43

15:43

On this episode, ExchangeWire's Mat Boughton is joined by Ganga Chirravuri, president product and development, dentsu APAC, to discuss how the advertising industry is evolving, how the programmatic sphere developing and the key strategies brands should adopt to stay competitiveBy ExchangeWire

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MadTech Daily: Microsoft Accuses Google; AI Search Engine by Meta On The Cards 2:33

2h ago2:33

2:33

On today's MadTech Daily: Microsoft Accuses Google; AI Search Engine by Meta On The Cards; IAB Europe’s Retail Media Certification Programme Begins Beta PhaseBy ExchangeWire

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30th October 1938: The War of the Worlds radio play, directed by Orson Welles, terrifies listeners in America

7h ago

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Announcements were made before, during and after the radio broadcast that the events in War of the Worlds were fictitious, but it was clear that these warnings went unheeded by ...By Scott Allsop

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MadTech Daily: YouTube Expands Shopping Affiliate Programme to India; Meta to Use Reuters Content for AI Chatbot 2:19

1d ago2:19

2:19

On today's MadTech Daily: YouTube Expands Shopping Affiliate Programme to India; Meta to Use Reuters Content for AI Chatbot; Microsoft Expected to Report Slowest Quarterly Revenue Growth in a YearBy ExchangeWire

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29th October 1959: Comic book character Asterix the Gaul’s first appearance in the debut issue of Pilote magazine

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Created by writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo, the story of Asterix is set in 50 B.C. and follows the adventures of the warrior Asterix from a small village in Gaul (modern-day France), during the time of the Roman Empire's ...By Scott Allsop

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The jails where they do things differently 22:59

1d ago22:59

22:59

In 2019 a group of prison officers from Philadelphia in the US spent three weeks working in jails across Scandinavia - in order to see whether their more humane approach to custody could work back at home. Five years on we visit SCI Chester’s ‘Little Scandinavia' to see whether the ‘homely’ environment - where prisoners can order groceries, cook th…

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909. News: Stripe drops $1.1 billion on Bridge, Capital One and Minna Tech team up, and the US gets open banking regulations... kinda 58:15

2d ago58:15

58:15

Join hosts Laura Watkins and Ross Gallagher, along with some great guests, as we discuss the biggest fintech and financial services news this week. Topics covered include: Fintech giant Stripe acquiring stablecoin platform Bridge for $1.1 billion, Capital One partnering with Minna Technologies, the US getting open banking regulations... kinda, inno…

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MadTech Daily: Google Ordered to Pay Damages to Equativ 1:26

2d ago1:26

1:26

On today's Daily, Dot discusses: Google ordred to pay €26.5m in damages to Equativ over anti-competitive behaviour; Meta move into the AI podcast game; Elon Musk's X set to miss political advertising revenue targetsBy ExchangeWire

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28th October 1962: End of the Cuban Missile Crisis as Khrushchev agrees to remove nuclear missiles from Cuba

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Because America’s part of the agreement was kept secret, Khrushchev appeared to have ‘lost’. The reality is that both sides made ...By Scott Allsop

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27th October 1988: Ronald Reagan halts construction of the new US embassy in Moscow

3d ago

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By the summer of 1987 it had become public knowledge that the Soviets had bugged the new building with technology that the United States was struggling to ...By Scott Allsop

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Digesting listeners’ views on The Food Chain 8:58

4d ago8:58

8:58

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food and what it takes to put food on your plate. But is it passing judgement on what people eat? Or simply advising them about what it is they are putting into their mouths? We are joined by its presenter Ruth Alexander and we hear listeners’ feedback. Presenter: Rajan Data…

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26th October 1860: Garibaldi hands control of southern Italy to Victor Emmanuel II

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Giuseppe Garibaldi met with Victor Emmanuel II, the King of Sardinia, at Teano and handed him control of southern ...By Scott Allsop

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ITV's Rhys McLachlan on News Corp vs Perplexity, Brand Safety and Netflix 39:24

5d ago39:24

39:24

On this week's MadTech Podcast, ITV's director of advanced advertising Rhys McLachlan joins John Still and Lindsay Rowntree to discuss News Corp's legal action against Perplexity, Bountiful Cow's challenge to overzealous brand safety measures, and Netflix's subscriber growth.By ExchangeWire

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MadTech Daily: Spotify's New Ad Network 1:51

5d ago1:51

1:51

On today's Daily, Dot discusses: Spotify on the SAX; LinkedIn in legal hot water; Nvidia stretching into new marketsBy ExchangeWire

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25th October 1940: Benjamin O. Davis Sr. becomes first black general in the US military

5d ago

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Davis first entered military service following the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, and later served as Professor of Military Science and Tactics at both Wilberforce University in Ohio and Tuskegee University in Alabama as well as serving tours of duty around the ...By Scott Allsop

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Last Word selection criteria, how BBC presenters handle Middle East interviews, and Archers Podcast launch 27:57

6d ago27:57

27:57

In the first episode of the new series, former producer Neil George explains the selection criteria behind Radio 4's obit show Last Word. Suzanne Franks, professor of journalism at City St George's, University of London, helps navigate issues of impartiality when interviewing representatives of opposing sides in the Middle East conflict. And as a n…

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908. Insights: Making banking fun! A conversation with Up CEO Xavier Shay 46:07

6d ago46:07

46:07

On this episode of Fintech Insider Insights host Kate Moody is joined by Xavier Shay - CEO of Up. Since it launched as Australia’s first mobile-only digital bank back in 2018, Up has set out to connect younger consumers with digital savings, payments and lending. Up will soon celebrate its sixth birthday, and is on track in its birthday month (Octo…

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24th October 1929: Black Thursday marks the start of the Wall Street Crash

6d ago

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Although the scale of panic selling on Wall Street did slow down, the market continued its downward trajectory for over 2 ...By Scott Allsop

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PODCAST 202 BEWARE OF THE BEARS 30:01

7d ago30:01

30:01

We wonder if Brown Bears are good or bad for tourism, hear listener Sally Naylor's tale of her split-second travel decision and discuss whether the world is becoming too samey.

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MadTech Daily: News Corp Sues Perplexity 1:38

7d ago1:38

1:38

On today's MadTech Daily, Dot dissects: News Corp sues Perplexity, Netflix shuts down Team Blue gaming studio, and The Walt Disney Company to announce new CEO in 2026.By ExchangeWire

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23rd October 1642: Battle of Edgehill fought during the early stages of the English Civil War

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The battle of Edgehill was fought in Warwickshire between the Royalist forces of King Charles I and the Parliamentarian army under the command of the Duke of Essex, but it ended inconclusively at nightfall with heavy casualties on both ...By Scott Allsop

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Richard Sambrook ex BBC Director of News and the World Service on BBC cuts, disinformation and World Service funding 31:31

7d ago31:31

31:31

Richard Sambrook, former Director of BBC News and the World Service, and now an Emeritus Professor of journalism at Cardiff University discusses the challenges the BBC faces in dealing with the rise of disinformation, the balance between free speech and responsibility, the BBC's 'follow the sun' strategy, World Service funding and the impact of bud…

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MadTech Daily: New Programmatic Tool Address 'Overzealous' Brand Safety 2:02

10d ago2:02

2:02

On today's show, Dot discusses: Bountiful Cow introduce new programmatic tool to challenge notions of brand safety; Sky hit turbulence; IPG introduces new data platform called Interact.By ExchangeWire

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22nd October 1910: Dr. Hawley Crippen found guilty of murdering his wife, after being captured with the aid of wireless technology

8d ago

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The trial began on 18 October 1910 and concluded on 22 October with the jury finding Crippen guilty of murder after just twenty-seven minutes of deliberations, having heard a case that relied heavily on forensic evidence including partial human remains discovered at his ...By Scott Allsop

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Fixing elections - for the better 22:59

9d ago22:59

22:59

2024 has been called a record breaking year for elections, with billions of people eligible to take part in all types of votes. But how can we make sure people can vote safely and securely? We visit Australia's Northern Territory to see how voting takes place in incredibly remote communities. We also find out how a group of eminent women in Uganda …

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MadTech Daily: Perplexity Seeks Massive Funding? 1:49

10d ago1:49

1:49

On today's MadTech Daily, Dot discusses: AI-powered search engine Perplexity seeks massive funding round; Alibaba Group’s Quanzhantui digital marketing tool boosts revenue on Taobao and Tmall platforms; TV seeks Head Of Generative AI Innovation to drive AI-driven content creation for TV shows, films, and digital-first content.…

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907. News: The BBC attacks Revolut, banks behaving badly, and fintech makes the world a better place 1:10:12

9d ago1:10:12

1:10:12

Join hosts Laura Watkins and Dave Morris, along with some great guests, as we discuss the biggest fintech and financial services news this week. Topics covered include: A BBC investigation found that Revolut has been named in more fraud reports than any major UK bank; two different banks from both sides of the pond have received heavy fines; UK fin…

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21st October 1096: Battle of Civetot destroys the People’s Crusade at the start of the First Crusade

9d ago

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The poorly equipped forces of the People's Crusade, who lacked cohesive leadership, were quickly overwhelmed by the experienced Seljuk cavalry with the battle turning into a massacre where tens of thousands of crusaders were ...By Scott Allsop

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20th October 1818: Treaty of 1818 establishes the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and British North America

12d ago

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One of the key features of the Treaty of 1818 was the establishment of the 49th parallel as the boundary between the United States and British North America, from the Lake of the Woods in Minnesota in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the ...By Scott Allsop

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Al Fayed’s behaviour uncovered by World of Secrets 8:58

11d ago8:58

8:58

Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods is the latest investigative mini-series in the World of Secrets slot. We put your feedback to the series editor Matt Willis and ask him how interviewees now felt able to discuss upsetting accusations of sexual abuse.Warning: the following discussion involves the topic of sexual abuse which some listeners might find dis…

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19th October 1864: Confederate soldiers rob three banks in the St. Albans Raid in the northernmost land action of the American Civil War

11d ago

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They robbed three banks in St. Albans with the objective of seizing supplies and forcing the Union Army to divert forces from the ...By Scott Allsop

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MadTech Daily: EU Looking at Elon 1:47

13d ago1:47

1:47

On today's show, Dot discusses: the EU looking whether to count all of Elon Musk's business when metering out a fine for X; Netflix subscriber growth; Meta in trouble for 'polluting' open source.By ExchangeWire

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Publicis' Mark Krebs on Privacy Regulation, Open App Stores and Shoppable TV 38:59

12d ago38:59

38:59

In this episode of the MadTech Podcast, Mark Krebs, Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Media, Singapore & Southeast Asia, joins Lindsay Rowntree and Mat Broughton to discuss privacy and compliance certification, Google's hand being forced over app stores, and the rise of shoppable TV.By ExchangeWire

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18th October 1963: Félicette becomes the first cat in space when she is launched as part of a French mission

12d ago

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Félicette survived the flight after being secured inside a specially designed capsule on top of a Véronique AG1 rocket, which reached an altitude of about 157 ...By Scott Allsop

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Gareth Benest, International Broadcasting Trust, on shrinking global coverage 29:14

12d ago29:14

29:14

In the same week that BBC Director General Tim Davie pitched for an increase in government funding for the BBC World Service, while simultaneously axing the global interview programme Hard Talk in another round of cuts, we speak with Gareth Benest, Director of Advocacy at the International Broadcasting Trust. We discuss the decline in international…

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